They don`t care if you have Caller ID. They don`t care if you have an unlisted phone number or a cell phone. And they certainly don`t care that you are on the Do-Not-Call Registry.
Who are "They"?
"They" are the crooks behind the multi-billion dollar business of telemarketing scams.
"Each year seems to get worse" says David Wood, consumer advocate and founder of the Phone Scam Alert, a service to warn consumers about telephone scams. "Most people believe they are too smart to fall for a scam. However, as we`ve seen in 2006 even the most intelligent consumer can fall victim. There are a lot of smart people that are kicking themselves because they fell for the ploy".
DialingForDeals.com tracks phone scams as they appear in the United States. The top 10 list is calculated by monitoring the type and number of a specific telemarketing scam throughout the course of a year.
10. Free Fuel Vouchers: The caller will say that you`ve been awarded a few hundred dollars in free local gasoline coupons. To receive the vouchers you`ll need to pay a $3.95 processing fee by using your credit or checking account numbers.
9. Power Company Scam: There were two separate versions: The first had the caller offering a device that would save money on your electric bill. The second version has the caller impersonating an employee of your power company. You`ll be offered a discount if you set up an automated payment debit through your checking account.
8. Social Security Scam: Although there are variations of this scam, the most common will have the caller posing as an employee of the Social Security Administration. You`ll be asked to verify your banking information on the premise of updating any direct deposit procedures.
7. Medicare Scam: Numerous versions with one claiming a new card needs to be sent to you. You`re asked to verify your social security number along with other personal information. Many people reported that the scammer called collect!
6. Charity Scams: A year-round scam but especially prevalent during the holidays. Instead of asking for a donation by check, most scammers will ask for the donation by checking account debit or credit card payment.
5. Bank Debit Scam: An effective scam with the caller claiming your account has been used fraudulently. You`ll be asked to confirm your account numbers to clear up the matter.
4. Foreign Lottery Scam: A huge scam based on greed. The caller will claim you`ve won a lottery and only need to wire money to pay the tax on the winnings. In fact, playing a foreign lottery by phone or mail is a violation of federal law.
3. Veteran Scam: Last year had a caller claiming there were changes to the V.A. prescription drug plan. The new version of the scam has the caller asking questions concerning deployment, and then requesting personal information for verification.
2. Jury Duty Scam: A very widespread scam every year. Typically, the caller will say that you have missed jury duty and a warrant has been issued for your arrest. As you constantly tell the caller that you didn`t know about appearing for jury duty, the caller will ask you to verify your social security number to make sure the caller has called the correct person.
1. Government Grant Scam: Rated first again this year, the typical version has the caller claiming that you`ve been awarded a federal grant, and a grant doesn`t have to be paid back! All you must do is pay the taxes, either by wiring the money or by providing checking or credit card numbers.
